Systems and Methods of Amplification including Multiple Input Single Output (MISO) Amplifiers

• US 20130288620A1
• Filed: 04/19/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ParkerVision, Inc.
• Inventors: Sorrells, David F., Rawlins, Gregory S., Rawlins, Michael W.
• Application Number:
  US13/866,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20130288620A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/127.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03C 5/00 Amplitude modulation and angle modulation produced simultaneously or at will by the same modulating signal H03C7/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/02 Modifications of amplifiers to raise the efficiency, e.g. gliding Class A stages, use of an auxiliary oscillation
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0205 in transistor amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0233 by using a signal derived from the output signal, e.g. bootstrapping the voltage supply
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0294 using vector summing of two or more constant amplitude phase-modulated signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/32 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce non-linear distortion by negative feedback H03F1/34
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3205 in field-effect transistor amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/3223 using feed-forward H03F1/3211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/336 A I/Q, i.e. phase quadrature, modulator or demodulator being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/387 A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2201/3215 To increase the output power or efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/193 with field-effect devices H03F3/195 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/211 using a combination of several amplifiers H03F3/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45071 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/04 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0483 : Transmitters with multiple parallel paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/045 : with means for improving efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0491 : with frequency synthesizers, frequency converters or modulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/20 : Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/36 : Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/362 : Modulation using more than one carrier, e.g. with quadrature carriers, separately amplitude modulated H04L27/366 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and systems for vector combining power amplification are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a plurality of signals are individually amplified, then summed to form a desired time-varying complex envelope signal. Phase and/or frequency characteristics of one or more of the signals are controlled to provide the desired phase, frequency, and/or amplitude characteristics of the desired time-varying complex envelope signal. In another embodiment, a time-varying complex envelope signal is decomposed into a plurality of constant envelope constituent signals. The constituent signals are amplified equally or substantially equally, and then summed to construct an amplified version of the original time-varying envelope signal. Embodiments also perform frequency up-conversion.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method comprising:

decomposing a time-varying complex envelope signal into a first substantially constant envelope signal and a second substantially constant envelope signal;

combining said first substantially constant envelope signal and said second substantially constant envelope signal to generate an amplified version of said time-varying complex envelope signal; and

controlling a phase shift angle between components of said first substantially constant envelope signal to control an output power of said amplified version of said time-varying complex envelope signal.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said controlling comprises:

controlling a magnitude of said amplified version of said time-varying complex envelope signal by symmetrically shifting said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said controlling comprises:

constraining said phase shift angle between said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said controlling comprises:

achieving a maximum output power by imposing a minimum phase shift angle condition on said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein said controlling comprises:

achieving a minimum output power by imposing a maximum phase shift angle condition on said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein said controlling comprises:

controlling an output power resolution as a function of a power increment and decrement step size of said phase shift angle.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said controlling said output power resolution comprises:

defining a minimum phase shift angle step size.

32. An apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to decompose a time-varying complex envelope signal into a first substantially constant envelope signal and a second substantially constant envelope signal; and

a combiner configured to combine said first substantially constant envelope signal and said second substantially constant envelope signal to generate an amplified version of said time-varying complex envelope signal,

wherein a phase shift angle between components of said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled to control an output power of said amplified version of said time-varying complex envelope signal.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled by symmetrically shifting said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled by constraining said phase shift angle between said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled by imposing a minimum phase shift angle condition on said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal to achieve a maximum output power.

36. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled by imposing a maximum phase shift angle condition on said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal to achieve a minimum output power.

37. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled by controlling an output power resolution as a function of a power increment and decrement step size of said phase shift angle.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said controlling output power resolution comprises:

defining a minimum phase shift angle step size.

39. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said combiner comprises a multiple-input single-output (MISO) device.

40. An apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to;

decompose a time-varying complex envelope signal into an in-phase vector component and a quadrature vector component;

decompose said in-phase vector component into a first substantially constant envelope signal and a second substantially constant envelope signal; and

decompose said quadrature vector component into a third substantially constant envelope signal and a fourth substantially constant envelope signal; and

a combiner configured to combine said first substantially constant envelope signal, said second substantially constant envelope signal, said third substantially constant envelope signal, and said fourth substantially constant envelope signal to generate an amplified version of said time-varying complex envelope signal,

wherein a phase shift angle between components of said first substantially constant envelope signal controls an output power of said amplified version of said time-varying complex envelope signal.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled by symmetrically shifting said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal.

42. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled by constraining said phase shift angle between said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal.

43. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled by imposing a minimum phase shift angle condition on said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal to achieve a maximum output power.

44. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled by imposing a maximum phase shift angle condition on said components of said first substantially constant envelope signal to achieve a minimum output power.

45. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said first substantially constant envelope signal is controlled by controlling an output power resolution as a function of a power increment and decrement step size of said phase shift angle.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein said function defines a minimum phase shift angle step size.

47. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said combiner comprises a multiple-input single-output (MISO) device.